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Murder by Decree
Sherlock Holmes and Saucy Jack

UK / Canada 1979
produced by
Bob Clark, René Dupont, Robert A. Goldston, Len Herberman (executive) for Famous Players, Highlight, Saucy Jack, Canadian Film Development Corporation
directed by Bob Clark
starring Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, Susan Clark, Anthony Quayle, John Gielgud, Frank Finlay, Donald Sutherland, Geneviève Bujold, Chris Wiggins, Tedde Moore, Peter Jonfield, Roy Lanford, Catherine Kessler, Ron Pember, June Brown, Ken Jones, Terry Duggan, Hilary Sesta, Anthony May, Betty Woolfe, Geoffrey Russell, Peggy Ann Clifford, Ann Mitchell, Katherine Stark, Stella Curtney, Judy Wilson, Victor Langley, Pamely Abbott, Robin Marchall, Richard Pescud, Dan Long, Michael Cashman
screenplay by John Hopkins, based on the book The Ripper Files by Elwyn Jones, John Lloyd, characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle, music by Paul Zaza, Carl Zittrer

Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer)

review by
Dale Pierce

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An all-star cast makes this a classic film, though the story line runs much like that of From Hell with Johnny Depp, which would come later on. As a fan of thrillers and horror films, I loved this movie, but as a member of the masonic lodge, I hated it. The reason is simple. Like in From Hell, this movie implies a masonic cover up concerning the Duke Of Clarence and a tie-in to the Jack The Ripper murders. Is it possible there is some truth to this in real life ? Well, maybe. Is it probable. No, not really. 

 

With that aside, the movie offers an interesting Ripper theory, mainly centered around the fashion in which the whores were killed by the infamous murderer.

Sherlock Holmes, played by Christopher Plummer (though he is no Basil Rathbone, he fits the role capably enough) spots said similarities and somehow, though not a mason himself, knows all the secrets. As the killings go on, he dabbles more and more into them until he discovers the connection with the Duke Of Clarence, the masons and the whores said Duke liked to have romps with, until he contracts syphillis from them. In this movie, Holmes solves the mystery, with sufficient coverups making his discovery meaningless in the end. "Even murder?" he questions when surprised by just how far the crown will got to protrect its dirty secrets. Yes, I am afraid so, old boy. Even murder is not out of bounds for those in the ruling class. Cheerio now. Of course in real life, the notorious Ripper was never caught, though this movie offers a bittersweet ending to the case.

When this movie first came out, unlike with From Hell, masons in several cities protested outside the theatres where it was being shown. This of course, only helped gain more recognition for the movie. By the time From Hell came about, most members of the lodge young enough to remember both movies (I do recall both, but was not a member of the masons until 1987) seemed to shrug and say "well, here we go again."

As there are similarities between the two films, replacing Plummer for Depp and the name of Holmes for the real-life inspector on the case, there are also some direct differences which make both movies worth a look. Murder By Decree, however, is not overly graphic as is From Hell, or especially the more dreaded Jack The Ripper by Jess Franco or the Showtime tv movie titled Ripper, released in the early 1990s.

 

review © by Dale Pierce

 

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In times of uncertainty of a possible zombie outbreak, a woman has to decide between two men - only one of them's one of the undead.

 

There's No Such Thing as Zombies
starring
Luana Ribeira, Rudy Barrow and Rami Hilmi
special appearances by
Debra Lamb and Lynn Lowry

 

directed by
Eddie Bammeke

written by
Michael Haberfelner

produced by
Michael Haberfelner, Luana Ribeira and Eddie Bammeke

 

now streaming at

Amazon

Amazon UK

Vimeo

 

 

 

Robots and rats,
demons and potholes,
cuddly toys and
shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill
Your Bones to

is all of that.

 

Tales to Chill
Your Bones to
-
a collection of short stories and mini-plays
ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic
to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle, all thought up by
the twisted mind of
screenwriter and film reviewer
Michael Haberfelner.

 

Tales to Chill
Your Bones to

the new anthology by
Michael Haberfelner

 

Out now from
Amazon!!!